Like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, a strange feeling suddenly arose in Xiaorou's heart. Her vision suddenly became blurry, and even the warm house in her memory, the corpses on the ground, and the blood all became distorted. The world became so dreamlike and unreal, and in the blink of an eye, it awakened the girl's dormant heart.
The girl's clear, bright eyes slowly closed, and Ling Yun simply gazed at her tenderly. After a moment, Xiao Rou suddenly opened her eyes, and a clear, bright silver light suddenly shot out from her star-like eyes. A voice almost devoid of emotion came from her lips: "I am Xiao Rou, Yun, I'm back."
She suddenly raised her delicate, fair arm, and her pink fist burst forth with a silver beam of light that seemed almost tangible. The silver beam of light instantly pierced through the entire roof, revealing a hole the size of a washbasin in the roof of the bungalow. As a ray of sunlight shone down, it could be clearly seen that the blue flame on the huge clock in the sky had been reduced to a barely visible flame, with only a crimson line constantly writhing, looking as if it might be extinguished at any moment.
Ling Yun looked up at the clock: "Thank goodness you woke up before the flames went out, otherwise we would have been in big trouble. There's still some time. Hopefully, we can take care of this guy before the sea of lava engulfs this place." He pointed to the small river that had somehow stood up.
Xiaohe's complexion had returned to normal, but her slightly delicate face was filled with deep astonishment as she pointed at Lingyun and said, "You were already awake? Did you see through the illusion the moment you stepped into the town?"
As his words fell, the environment around the three of them suddenly began to change dramatically, as if they were placed inside a giant 3D movie screen. The bizarre and colorful images flashed faster and faster, as if life itself was accelerating. The sturdy house rolled away like a painting into the nameless space. The corpse, the blood, and the terrified Liang Ge slowly faded in color, turning from color to black and white, and then to gray. The sky also gradually darkened. Except for the giant clock, all the colors of everything else were slowly disappearing. Then, all the boundaries were like a sketch that had just been drawn. The light began to blur, and the distinction between objects and space was slowly disappearing. Everything turned into a pitch-black mass, as if it were an endless darkness.
A beam of snow-white light suddenly shone down above the three of them, followed by a soft, bright light that filled the entire space once more. Ling Yun and Xiao Rou looked around; the town had completely disappeared, replaced by a grand hall of the same size as the town. The black, shiny floor and white jade walls, along with the completely empty layout, made the hall appear both grand and sparsely furnished. Apart from the exits on the front and back sides, each revealing a sliver of light, the hall was otherwise completely devoid of any other features.
The river had also disappeared. Standing in front of Ling Yun and Xiao Rou was a tall but somewhat thin blond youth with long, flowing hair that reached his waist. His handsome face, as handsome as the sun god, was showing a thoughtful expression, and his deep blue eyes, as deep as the sea, were staring intently at Ling Yun.
His face was fair and flawless, like jade, with red lips and white teeth. Even without a smile, he was pleasing to the eye. He wore a classic-style long robe with scattered gold trim, and his posture was straight. Although he was not moving, he had a deep, kingly aura that was unforgettable.
A huge clock was embedded directly above the exit of the hall, its hands making precise mechanical ticking sounds. The last wisp of blue flame was still burning stubbornly, though it was almost gone.
"Welcome to my Dream City, two esteemed and powerful individuals. Your ability to break my Dream Technique is more than enough to earn my respect." The blond youth bowed slightly, placing his arm across his chest in a standard classical aristocratic gesture.
"Are you Xiaohe? May I ask your name?" Ling Yun nodded and suddenly asked.
“I am not Xiaohe, but Xiaohe is me.” The blond youth smiled slightly. “Xiaohe is just a character in my dream magic who is attached to a trace of my divine sense. When you recognize him as me, this dream scheme will have already been broken. I have no name. My true identity is just a servant. If you are willing, you can call me by the name Xiaohe.”
Ling Yun and Xiao Rou exchanged a surprised glance. Just now, the two of them hadn't been polite at all, using their senses to probe each other's strength and weakness. However, after the probes were sent out, there was no further feedback. It was clear that they had been devoured by the blond youth. It was too astonishing to say that such a powerful person, who had even trapped the two of them for a long time with just the power of dreams, was just a servant.
Xiaohe glanced at the two of them and noticed Lingyun and Xiaorou's surprise, but she just smiled slightly and didn't explain. Instead, she slowly said, "Mr. Lingyun, I really admire you. You were able to see through my Dream Technique in such a short time. What surprised me the most was that you remained conscious the whole time. You were able to sense the memories I forced on you in the Dream Technique, and you were able to retain all your previous abilities without making a sound. You even managed to deceive me. How did you do that?"
Ling Yun glanced at him and said calmly, "Mr. Xiaohe, you flatter me. Actually, I am not as skilled as you say. However, I admire your Dream Magic. When we first entered the town, Xiao Rou and I should not have been hypnotized by Dream Magic, because at that time our vigilance was at its highest level and our mental field protection was at its strongest. If you had tried to hypnotize us, you would likely have failed. If you had failed, not only would all our plans have been impossible to carry out, but you might have even suffered a backlash. So you wisely chose not to hypnotize us at the beginning."
"Absolutely right, please continue," Xiaohe exclaimed, smiling in affirmation. Xiaorou stood to the side, tilting her head as if deep in thought. Even now, she still felt a vivid sense of yesterday. In her dream, she and Lingyun had become a couple, living a peaceful and simple life. Wasn't this exactly what she had always wanted? Xiaorou thought silently, suddenly feeling a pang of nostalgia for the days in the dream world. She couldn't help but glance at Lingyun and let out a soft sigh.
“Although there was no hypnosis, you chose to give us a strong psychological suggestion. If we follow the supernatural art of mental hypnosis, it's like planting a seed in our hearts, right?” Ling Yun said without any politeness, speaking slowly and deliberately. “Uncle Li was the first person to receive the psychological suggestion. From the moment we stepped into the town, you had already assigned us roles, and even prepared our houses. So when Uncle Li called me, Xiao Rou, Xiao Zhang, and Qiao Li, we were very surprised. At that time, the seed of dream magic had already been passively planted in our hearts, and our consciousness was close to the edge of mental control. You did a very good job.”
“Then, you can just wait for us to find our own home. As long as we’re not completely stupid, we’ll naturally find out where Xiao Zhang and Qiao Li live.” Ling Yun continued, “When we go in, it’s like we’re automatically sending our consciousness into the consciousness trap you’ve carefully set up. Once we step into that house, we’ve already stepped into a dream.”
“That’s the problem.” Xiaohe’s eyes suddenly lit up. “I was just about to ask you, my dream magic is flawless. Once you step into my illusion trap, it’s very difficult for your consciousness to come out automatically. How did you see through it? Or did you know from the beginning that it was a trap and your consciousness remained clear the whole time?”
“No, I didn’t know at first. Your dream magic is indeed flawless. Xiao Rou and I didn’t actually see through the environmental trap. Instead, we entered the memory life that you had prepared in advance.” Ling Yun glanced at Xiao Rou, and his eyes suddenly showed a tender and longing look. “Fortunately, you arranged for Xiao Rou and me to be a loving couple. That’s why I’m very grateful to you.”
Xiao Rou looked at Ling Yun. Although they had both regained consciousness, the memories of the dreamlike scene remained intact. Recalling that enchanting and sweet night, a sweet and warm feeling involuntarily welled up in their hearts. Suddenly, two blushes appeared on Xiao Rou's face, clearly recalling the moment when their bodies were exposed.
“You did everything flawlessly, but you forgot something illogical: you made it dark too quickly.” Ling Yun then turned to Xiao He and said, “In a dream, you can change the flow of time and space at any time; that’s your absolute power. But you forgot that although we are all trapped, we still have basic rationality and logical thinking abilities.”
Xiaohe looked a little confused, then spread his hands and said elegantly, "What's so strange about this? Even if it suddenly gets dark, it won't have any impact. I just want you to experience the terrifying feeling of monsters eating people in the dark as soon as possible. The pace needs to be sped up later, otherwise, if it drags on for too long, things may go wrong."
“Hehe, that’s the problem.” Ling Yun chuckled. “You took advantage of people’s fear of monsters eating people and their reluctance to go out every night, and took the opportunity to change everyone’s name and memories every day, including ours. On the first day, Xiao Rou and I were called Xiao Zhang and Qiao Li, and on the second day you changed us to Xiao Liang and Mei Yun. The purpose of doing this was to create confusion, changing the memories and lives of everyone in town every day. Although this was troublesome, it prevented the logic you later created, that the monsters ate one person every day but the total number of people did not decrease, from lacking a basis.”
"You saw the name I changed for you?" Xiaohe's eyes narrowed slightly.
“I didn’t see it at first,” Ling Yun answered truthfully. “But when Xiao Rou asked me to go downstairs to block the curtains, I saw a flash of light outside. The ground shook and the fake monster’s eyes made the outer door shake. Since there was no lock, I saw the sign on the outer door for a moment. Hehe, something amazing happened. What was originally Xiao Zhang and Qiao Li’s house when I first entered suddenly became Xiao Liang and Mei Yun’s house.”
Xiaohe sighed softly, and her sharp eyes gradually lowered, as if she was annoyed by her own unnoticed mistake.
“I sensed something was wrong right away, but I didn’t say anything. So I didn’t really sleep all night. And your memory-altering hypnosis should have been done in my sleep. So I was actually subjected to your dual memories, but Xiao Zhang’s memories didn’t disappear.” Ling Yun chuckled. “Of course, I was able to maintain my own consciousness and also had other adventures, but I won’t go into details about that.”
"Then, when I went out after breakfast, I heard my neighbor talking about the monster eating people, which exposed another suspicious point." Ling Yun said slowly, "When I first saw the remains, I noticed that although everyone else looked terrified, they didn't look disgusted or nauseous. Also, Uncle Tang San said something unintentionally, that none of the remains were claimed by family members. These two points alone are very suspicious."
"Oh? You mean people should have other reactions when they see a mutilated corpse? And that family members should be allowed to identify the body? Aren't they afraid of that disgusting corpse?" Xiaohe asked thoughtfully, stroking his chin.
Ling Yun glanced at him: "Of course, a mutilated corpse is so bloody that at first glance, people will only feel disgusted and want to vomit. Horror is secondary. You don't have that feeling, so of course you can't arrange the townspeople's reactions to be realistic. Moreover, no matter what the deceased looks like, the family members should definitely come. Even if one family has special circumstances and can't come, if someone in another family dies, no matter what the corpse looks like, no matter how bloody and horrific, their relatives will definitely be there because of their emotions. But you didn't take the emotional factor into account when you designed the dream, or rather, you don't have any relatives at all, so of course you won't have that feeling!"
Chapter 321 Unraveling the Mystery (Part 2)
Xiaohe nodded thoughtfully, "You're right, I really don't have any relatives. I just arranged everything in the town according to my own feelings. I thought it was perfect, but I didn't expect that there would be so many illogical things under your notice."
“It’s not that it’s illogical, but that it’s unreasonable,” Ling Yun said. “Sometimes things may be logical but not reasonable, because people are emotional beings, and reason and logic can sometimes contradict each other. If we only arrange reality according to logic, it will seem very pale in many cases.”
"Thank you, I've learned a lot. Maybe I can arrange it even better next time." Xiaohe smiled perfectly. "However, maybe there won't be a next time."
Ling Yun smiled slightly: "Indeed, there won't be a next time, but what I just said was just a minor flaw. Your real mistake lies with the library."
"The library?" Xiaohe raised an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong with the library?"
“Of course there is!” Ling Yun smiled. “Don’t you think it’s absurd to set up a library in a tiny town? I don’t understand why you would set up such a place. Although it looks very simple, the library is actually unnecessary and it exposes all your flaws.”
"Oh?" Xiaohe said, "Where did it reveal a flaw? Tell me."
“First, in the memories you set up, Xiaohe in the town shouldn’t be very educated,” Lingyun said, looking at him. “I remember Xiaorou saying something to me in the town. She said, ‘Xiaohe’s handwriting is really beautiful. I remember he doesn’t seem to have much education. It’s really hard on him, having to do so much every day.’ I remember that sentence very clearly. If he doesn’t have much education, how could he have such beautiful handwriting? The Xiaohe in the memories you gave me has never written anything. It’s really strange. Suddenly, when the monsters are eating people, the usually unassuming Xiaohe suddenly has such a clever mind and such beautiful handwriting. Isn’t that strange?”
"And the strangest thing isn't even here," Ling Yun continued. "After hearing your story about the wizard and townspeople you saw in the library, Xiao Rou and I immediately went to the library. Hehe, to my surprise, when I searched through all the books, I couldn't find any words related to wizards and townspeople. There wasn't a single book about them in the library. This only proves that you were just making things up, because you wouldn't have thought that anyone would go to that shabby library, nor would you have thought that anyone would actually read through all the books."
"I really just said it casually," Xiaohe admitted, then suddenly paused, "I really didn't expect you to actually take it so seriously and go to the library to look at books. Wait, the memory I set for you was that you couldn't read? How did you end up going to the library to look at books?"
Ling Yun smiled slightly: "The memory you gave me was indeed that I was illiterate, but it just so happened that I retained my original consciousness, so the library became your biggest weakness. Moreover, after browsing through all the books, I unexpectedly found the names of Xiao Liang and Mei Yun in a very old historical novel, and then I found the names of Xiao He, Uncle Dong, Brother Liang, Er Lengzi and others in another novel. Only then did I realize that your so-called changing names every day was just a sloppy copy from the book. And that novel, hehe... also tells a horror story about monsters eating people in a small town, and even the plot is completely copied. You are really lazy."
Xiaohe smiled slightly: "Why wouldn't I use something that's readily available? I originally thought I would keep you trapped in the dream magic until the clock ran out. But I didn't expect you to still discover so many flaws and details that even I didn't think of. I admire you. Very good. I personally think you have passed the test of wisdom."
"Wisdom has passed the test?" Ling Yun and Xiao Rou exchanged glances, then frowned and asked, "What does that mean?"
Xiaohe glanced at the two with a half-smile: "Didn't you see the four halls extending from bottom to top? Don't assume that each hall is empty, because they represent four kinds of trials. I am the master of the first hall, representing wisdom. If you want to pass through here and reach the temple at the top, then you must accept the trials of the four aspects. But only after the trials are over will you know what the trials were?"
"You mean our wisdom has passed your test? And then we have to enter the second hall to undergo the second test, and so on, until we pass the test of the fourth hall before we can reach the temple at the top of the barrier?" Ling Yun asked after thinking for a moment.
"Smart!" Xiaohe clapped his hands and laughed. "And don't ask me anything about the barrier and the temple. I don't know, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. Don't even think about going back the way you came or stalling for time. The test has a time limit. If you don't pass within the time limit, you will be eliminated. Elimination means either death or jumping into the lava sea below. So you have no way back, you can only move forward. Just a reminder, the sea level of the lava sea is constantly rising."
"If we kill you and forcibly extract your memories, will you still be laughing so happily?" Xiao Rou suddenly said coldly. With a gentle wave of her slender hand, a telekinetic spear appeared in her fair palm.